A teenager who wanted to accelerate a “race war” in Britain has been convicted of planning a far-right terror attack targeting police stations in
Newcastle.
Luke Skelton, now 19, carried out hostile reconnaissance and wrote a manifesto and “final note” to spread his message after the attack.
He denied preparing acts of
terrorism in the year leading up to his arrest in October 2021, but was convicted by a jury at Teesside Crown Court on Tuesday. His plot is among at least 37 foiled in Britain since March 2017, of which over a third were extreme right-wing.
Detective Chief Superintendent James Dunkerley, the head of Counter Terrorism Policing North East, said Skelton was not just a teenager with strong views “but a terrorist who wanted to cause serious harm”.
“The defendant’s anger towards society, together with his extreme right-wing views, created a dangerous foundation from which his sinister plans were ultimately built,” he added.